Threat From Within
by Armor King
Summary: After his battle with Neji, Sasuke finds himself back in Konoha. But, What is this about another threat and what does Sasuke know about it? BTW, Pairings are: SASUKExSAKURA & NEJIxTENTEN
1. Threat From Within

(-Author's Notes-)

Well, Here's the sequel to Prodigies. Time to discover what happened to Neji and Sasuke after their battle. Okay, Read on.

(-Summary, Disclaimer, etc.-)

SUMMARY: After his battle with Neji, Sasuke finds himself back in Konoha. But, What is this about another threat and what does Sasuke know about it?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto or the characters contained therein, they are property of Kishimoto Masashi. I am merely borrowing them for non-profit fanfiction.

RATING: T - M

GENRE: Various (Primarily Action)

LENGTH?

PAIRINGS: Sasuke/Sakura & Neji/Tenten (hints at: Naruto/Hinata & possibly Kakashi/Kurenai)

WARNINGS: Blood, Violence, & Possible Language.

(-THREAT FROM WITHIN-)

Sasuke's eyes slowly open to reveal the ceiling of an indoor room to his gaze and he quickly shoots up into a sitting position, causing a sharp pain to make itself known as he grunts in reaction. A pair of hands place themselves one on each of his shoulders and he sees a familiar face.

"Don't move around so much, Sasuke-kun." Sakura says, gently pushing the Uchiha back down onto the bed, "Your body hasn't recovered completely, yet."

"Sakura...?" questions Sasuke, as his eyes remain afixed on the pink-haired kunoichi standing at the left side of the bed he's on. It becomes apparent to the Uchiha that he is in a hospital back in Konoha... so, it was true. He had fought that Hyuuga guy and, if memory served, he lost. But, How did he wind up back in Konoha? The Hyuuga had lost consciousness even before Sasuke himself.

Slowly, Sasuke's eyes begin to scan around the hospital room, from Sakura moving toward the right. He sees: Ino, Naruto, Kakashi, Gai, Rock Lee, & Sai. Upon seeing Sai, Sasuke's eyes widen ever-so-slightly before closing and then re-opening with the Sharingan active. Then, suddenly, He shoves Sakura back against Ino with his left arm as he retrieves a kunai from her back pouch in his right hand.

The raven-haired Uchiha suddenly lunges toward Sai and, before his lookalike can react, slashes his throat with the attained kunai... shocking everyone with the action as they're left in stunned silence, having been unable to do anything. Sai's body crumples to the floor as Sasuke turns his face toward the other occupants of the hospital room, his face stained somewhat with the slain shinobi's blood and his eyes holding a look that would frighten almost anyone.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura ventures, still in shock as she takes a step toward him.

"That isn't Sai!" Sasuke states, frighteningly, "It's a kage-bunshin!"

"Huh?" is the concensus among the people gathered. And, sure enough, the blood on Sasuke's face disappears as Sai's body vanishes in a puff of smoke.

"But, How'd ya know his name was Sai?" questions Naruto.

"The real man who went by the codename, Sai, was a member of a secret organization operating here inside Konoha!" Sasuke informs, "But, He was killed almost two months ago!" he suddenly feels weak, his eyes returning to normal, and he drops the kunai from his hand but braces himself against his knees.

Of course, Sakura rushes to the Uchiha's side and assists him to where he can sit on the edge of the hospital bed. "How can you be sure?" she asks.

Sasuke's eyes remain afixed on the floor, "Because I'm the one who killed him." he responds.

This announcement gains an audible gasp from the occupants of the room.

Across the hall, in another room, Tenten is with Neji who is observing the events in the other room with his Byakkugan.

"I see." Neji says, "So, That's it."

"What is it, Neji?" asks Tenten from the side of the Hyuuga's hospital bed.

"Just now, The Uchiha revealed that Sai person to be a kage-bunshin." Neji explains, "And, from his lip movements, I can decipher that he told them the real Sai was a member of a secret organization in Konoha."

Back in Sasuke's room, "But, Who could've created the bunshin?" queries Sakura, "And, Why would they choose a dead member of that supposed organization?"

"With that level of control," Sasuke explains, eyes still on the floor, "It has to be Itachi! Afterall, What better way to keep tabs on Naruto?"

"So, Itachi created the bunshin and disguised it as Sai so he could keep an eye on Naruto's activities." Kakashi adds, quite matter-of-factly for the one eyed jounin, "Those Akatsuki are some really scary guys."

"Indeed! But, If this secret organization does actually exist," Gai inserts, stroking his chin in thought, "What is their connection with the Akatsuki?"

"Even I don't know the answer to that." Sasuke says, finally altering his gaze from the floor to the window.

After a short stretch of silence, Sakura finally asks a question that everyone should be wondering about, "How do you know all this stuff, Sasuke-kun?"

"Information I gathered while I was with Orochimaru." Sasuke replies.

Elsewhere...

Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame are shown sitting atop two large boulders. Itachi's eyes open and he releases his hands from the seal he's been holding, lowering them to his sides.

"So, They discovered the kage-bunshin, did they?" questions Kisame, smiling as he already knows the answer.

"Hmph." Itachi responds, re-closing his eyes, "That brat brother of mine. He's persisting in becoming quite the nuisance."

"If that's the case then," Kisame points out, "Why didn't you just kill him with the rest of your clan?"

)-Back in Konoha Hospital-(

"... by the way." Sasuke says, after a long stretch of silence, "I can't feel the pain from the curse... why?"

"Because I sealed it..." a man's voice says, drawing everyone's attention to the window. A male ninja is shown, sitting on the window-sill, and looking out into Konoha. The lower half of his face is shrouded by a black mask and his attire is nothing even akin to that of Konoha ninja.

"Who are you?" further questions the raven-haired Uchiha.

"Once, I was known as the Debiru Tora -Devil Tiger-..." the man responds, not moving his eyes from the village outside the window, "That is all you need to know..."

"But, What about the curse on Sasuke-kun's neck?" asks Sakura, now more curious than Sasuke himself.

"It is quite simple." the mystery ninja replies, "The level of the sealing jutsu I used on the curse is beyond that of the curse itself..." "For you see," he continues, finally turning his reddish-gray eyes toward the occupants of the room, "I am quite familiar with Orochimaru's tricks."

Sasuke raises his left hand to cover the spot on his neck where the symbol of the curse remains, his face wearing an expression of uncertainty. After observing the raven-haired Uchiha for the past few moments, Sakura finally turns back to the still un-named shinobi at the window to ask one more question.

"Does this mean the curse won't bother Sasuke-kun anymore?" the pink-haired medical ninja asks, worried about Sasuke as usual.

"Iie." the masked shinobi replies, turning his gaze back out toward Konoha, "No seal is absolute, the only way he can truly be rid of the curse is if he dies or someone kills Orochimaru." this causes Sakura to sigh somewhat defeated. "Ultimately, The decision still lies with Sasuke himself." the mystery ninja continues, "However, You may be able to help him choose correctly." silence veils the entirety of the room once again as the still unknown shinobi stands up from the window sill and turns toward the bed where Sasuke appears still in thought, somewhat oblivious to the most recent conversation about himself.

"Uchiha Sasuke." the masked shinobi says, finally re-gaining the Uchiha's attention, "You can never defeat Itachi with hatred... as your level of hate shall never match his." Sasuke's eyes narrow at the mention of his brother's name. "If you try, he will defeat you again. Orochimaru can not help you, his abilities are incapable of defeating Itachi as is the path to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan..." he continues explaining to the Uchiha, "The Mangekyou is a double-edged sword, both Itachi's greatest strength and most severe weakness. Sasuke, You must train your eyes to defeat his." with his explanation finished, the ninja begins making several hand seals.

"... who are you, really?" asks Sasuke.

"Really?" repeats the un-named shinobi, "Nothing more than a shadow on a wall..." as the words escape his lips, his body vanishes in a puff of violet smoke.

After another long stretch of silence, Kakashi turns to his -rival-, "Gai, I think it's time we talked to Godaime-sama." he says, an unusual seriousness to his face (technically, though, his right eye is the only part of his -face- that's visible).

Gai appears to think for a moment, "You're right Kakashi, my rival!" he agrees, "We have much information for Godaime-sama, indeed!" and with that, the two jounin take their leave. Shortly thereafter, Lee vacates the room as well.

"Well, I'm going to let Shikamaru and Chouji know that Sasuke-kun's okay." Ino says and, with a wave and some friendly parting words, she leaves too.

"... don't you have somewhere to go too, Naruto?" Sakura asks the only other person left in the room with Sasuke, aside from herself.

Naruto is about to respond with a negative answer when the pink-haired kunoichi gives him a death-glare that would give Neji a run for his money in its effect. "Uh, Yeah." Naruto responds instead, "Iruka-sensei was going to buy me ramen today." and, with that, away the blonde-haired jinchuuriki goes.

"Now, Sasuke-kun, why don't you lie down and get some rest?" Sakura says, smiling, "There's no one else left here to distract you."

Sasuke looks up at her, "What about you?" he asks, "You're still here?"

Sakura laughs a bit, remembering that Sasuke's always been like that, "Oh, me?" responds the green-eyed girl, taking a seat next to the bed, "I'm a medical ninja now. And, I'm going to be your nurse until you're out of the hospital."

"... all the more reason for me to heal quickly." Sasuke says, as typical of himself.

"Exactly." Sakura says, still smiling and not seeming the least bit upset.

/Scene-switch/

Meanwhile, In Tsunade's office...

"And, You're sure about this?" Tsunade asks, "Can the information be trusted?"

"That depends," Kakashi replies, retaining his fleeting serious nature, "It's true that Danzou wished to contempt Sandaime's becoming Hokage. However, Do you believe that he would betray Konoha in order to take control?"

Tsunade appears to think about this for several moments, "You're right, Kakashi." she finally responds, "It's no coincedence that Danzou vanished shortly after Team 7, with Yamato as leader, left on their mission."

"Godaime-sama, You must reveal to us this man's tactics!" Gai states, "So that we can prevent whatever he may be planning!"

Tsunade sighs, "Alright..." and, so, she begins explaining to them about Danzou and the unit -Ne, or Root- that he created within the Anbu.

)-Back in Konoha Hospital-(

Sasuke is still sitting up in the bed, Sakura watching him closely as if expecting him to try to take off again... and she doesn't intend to let that happen. While continuing to watch Sasuke, a voice is heard.

"We have to talk, Uchiha!" the voice states, causing Sasuke and Sakura to look toward the doorway to see Hyuuga Neji braced against the door-facing with a concerned Tenten beside him, her hands on his right shoulder.

(-To Be Continued-)

Ramblings: Well, First chapter ends with a cliffhanger. Okay, I'll be back with the second chapter soon and hopefully it'll be longer. Well, Ja till next time. 


	2. The Connection

(-Author's Notes-)

Hey all! I should've mentioned this sooner, but this story is a sequel to another one I wrote, 'Prodigies of the Hyuuga and Uchiha: Neji vs Sasuke'. To fully understand this story, it may be a good idea to go back and read the other before continuing to read this one. Anyways, I'm back with chapter 2! In this one, A four-man team is formed to discover information on the organization Sasuke mentioned, wanna know the team? Read on!

First things first though! I wanna thank those who've reviewed so far. 5 reviews for a single chapter, wow! Now, Let's see if I prove worthy of those positive reviews!

(-THE CONNECTION-)

Neji is now seated in a chair in Sasuke's hospital room, Tenten remaining closeby. Sakura and Sasuke still remaining in their previous positions.

"So, What do you want?" Sasuke questions the pearl-eyed jounin.

"The organization that you mentioned to Kakashi and the others..." Neji responds, "Does it exist?"

Sasuke nods, but Sakura queries, "Wait. How'd you know what Sasuke-kun said?"

"I observed the conversation with my Byakkugan." Neji explains calmly, "Now, I gathered that the Akatsuki are involved. If there is a link between the Akatsuki and Ne, we need to find it."

A short silence passes, "What's Ne?" asks Tenten from beside Neji.

"The name of the organization led by Danzou, a man who thought he should've been Hokage instead of the Sandaime." Neji explains, revealing that he knew it existed before he questioned Sasuke on it, "Godaime-sama informed me when I was given the mission to retrieve Uchiha."

"Wait. Wouldn't this be better handled by an Anbu unit?" queries Sakura.

Neji shakes his head, "If the enemy discovered the Anbu, it would make them far more cautious." he explains, "The four of us are the best choice. Godaime-sama informed me of Danzou and Ne, Uchiha has information he obtained while with Orochimaru that may be more relevant than the info I received from Godaime-sama. You and Tenten are less conspicuous, having the ability to gather info while not drawing attention to yourselves."

"... alright." Sasuke finally says. "So, What's your plan?" he then asks, "You do have one, right?"

Neji nods and begins the explanation of his plan.

Meanwhile, In Tsunade's office...

"What?" Tsunade responds to a question, "You know that, in order to do that, it would require at least three trusted jounin rank ninja to vouch for him!"

"Exactly." Kakashi replies, then raises his right hand infront of himself with index and middle fingers extended, "I, Hatake Kakashi, believe that Uchiha Sasuke can be trusted with the safety of Konohagakure."

Gai mimicks the way Kakashi is standing, "As do I, Maitou Gai." he says, "I believe in my rival, Kakashi's judgement."

"And, A third?" questions Tsunade.

"... Yuuhi Kurenai." a female voice says, causing Tsunade to look toward the doorway to see said jounin standing the same as Kakashi and Gai, "I, too, am willing to vouch for Kakashi's student, Uchiha Sasuke."

Tsunade sighs and somewhat slumps back in her chair, "Alright, then." she says, "You do all realize that if your trust is misplaced, you could lose your rank or worse?" she receives nods from the three jounin then continues, "Very well. I, hereby, re-instate Uchiha Sasuke as a member of Konohagakure and restore his genin privileges, also I will remove his betrayal of this village from his record." she then calls in a few subordinates to carry this information to the residents of Konoha before dismissing Kakashi and the others.

Gai leaves first to check on Lee, followed by Kakashi, leaving only Kurenai in Tsunade's office.

Kurenai starts to leave also, "Are you sure about this?" asks Tsunade, "Do you truly care enough about him to risk everything?"

"..." Kurenai is silent initially as she stops walking and closes her red eyes. After a moment or so, she re-opens her eyes and starts again toward the exit of Tsunade's office, "Yes." she finally replies.

A few moments later, outside Tsunade's office...

"I'm sorry to drag you into this, Kurenai." Kakashi says as he's revealed, standing beside the door into Tsunade's office, "I know that you don't know Sasuke that well."

"It's okay, Kakashi." Kurenai responds, not turning toward the white-haired jounin a few steps behind her, "But, Are you sure about this?"

"..." Kakashi is silent momentarily before responding, "There's something in this village that's more important to him than revenge... if only he'd take the time to accept it."

/Scene-switch/

"Alright." Sasuke agrees after hearing the explanation of the plan.

"Are you sure, Sasuke-kun?" asks Sakura.

Sasuke nods, "At this point, I have a better chance of locating Itachi by remaining here in Konoha." he reveals, his manner of speech completely calm, "While I was with Orochimaru, I didn't come any closer to finding him."

"Okay then." Neji says, pushing himself up to a standing position, "We'll begin tomorrow morning." with that, he turns to go back to his own hospital room to rest, Tenten accompanying him.

A short time after the other two have left, "Don't you think you should rest, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura says, "You'll need your strength back for the mission."

Finally realizing that she's not going to give up until he listens, Sasuke agrees and lays down to rest... and it doesn't take long before the Uchiha is indeed asleep, his body obviously more exhausted than he'd care to have admitted. Sakura, almost tentatively, reaches toward Sasuke and brushes the bangs out of his face. Afterward, She leans very close to his ear and whispers, "Welcome back, Sasuke-kun..." before laying her head down on the side of the bed, her arms folded beneath it to serve as a pillow, and falling asleep.

The next morning, Sasuke awakes to find that Sakura is still asleep in the chair with her head on the side of his bed. He sits up and discovers a Konoha hitai-ate by his left side along with a folded note. Sasuke picks up the hitai-ate and opens the note to read it silently. The note was obviously left by Kakashi and it informs Sasuke that his genin rank has been restored which is why he has received a new hitai-ate.

Sasuke lays the note down and just looks at the hitai-ate in his left hand, then he turns his head to glance at the peacefully sleeping Sakura. He returns his gaze to the hitai-ate and closes his eyes for a moment before taking the item in both hands and putting it on.

A bit later in the day, Sasuke and Sakura meet with Neji and Tenten at the location specified the night before. Speaking of the specified location, it's atop a building in almost the exact center of Konohagakure.

"Before we start, I should warn you." Neji explains, calmly, "This is an unsanctioned mission that would normally be handled by an Anbu unit." "We'll be taking it upon ourselves to perform this mission." he continues, "And, Even if successful, we could face penalties and the possibility of confinement for not informing Hokage-sama. Are you all willing to face the consequences?"

Sasuke folds his arms before responding, "With my current situation, I don't have much left to lose."

Sakura seems to think about it for a few moments before giving her reply, "I wanna help Sasuke-kun, no matter what." she says with a nod.

Neji then turns to Tenten who just smiles, "Come on, Neji." she says, tilting her head just a bit to one side, "Do you even hafta ask?"

Neji seems to accept her answer, nodding slightly, "Okay, as a jounin, I'll take the responsibility as leader." he says, "However, If Tenten or Haruno think my orders to be invalidated or that they'll endanger a member of this team, as chuunin, they each have the ability to take over command." "Now, About the plan," he continues, kneeling down and gathering four small rocks before outlining a crude semblance to represent Konoha, "Konohagakure isn't small. The best plan would be to separate out and each of us explore a different direction..." he places the four rocks one at each the north, south, east, and west parts of the outline, "Like this. Tenten, You search the east. Haruno, West. I'll explore the northern section. And, Uchiha has the south. This part will be fairly simple for Tenten and Haruno. However, Uchiha will probably need to use Henge no Jutsu to remain hidden and, as a jounin, I can't go around asking questions so I'll use my Byakkugan to explore each area to the north from a distance." he stands back up and retrieves four small radios from his haori, "If you find anything imperative, use these to contact the rest of us." each of the other three take one of them, "Otherwise, We'll meet back here in exactly three hours, not a second more, to discuss information collected. Agreed?" the other three nod, "Now, begin!"

With that, the four separate out to find clues and possibly answers as to whether or not the Akatsuki are somehow connected with Ne.

/First, We'll follow Sakura in the west./

"Excuse me." Sakura addresses an older male, gaining his attention. "Have you seen Danzou-sama recently?" she asks, smiling politely.

"Oh?" the man responds. "You know Danzou-sama?" he queries, his speech rough but polite.

"Um, Not personally." Sakura responds, still wearing her polite smile, "But, I've heard stories about him."

The man turns away from Sakura, "Listen to me, young lady," he says with a serious mannerism, "For your own good, you should stay away from Danzou-sama. He's a militaristic type who once tried to forcibly take the position of Hokage from the Sandaime, with the help of his Anbu faction, Ne." Sakura gasps slightly before the man continues, "Not many outside of the upper echelons of Konoha ninjas even know his name, much less what he looks like. But, If you ever find your path crossed with his, don't listen to anything he tells you." with that, the man walks away from the young kunoichi.

/Now, Let's check up on Tenten in the east./

"Really?" Tenten responds questioningly to the reply she received for her query.

The woman she's talking to nods, "Yes." she says, "In fact, I hear there is an independent faction here in Konohagakure that supports Danzou-sama's bid to become Hokage... many who disagreed with the Sandaime's peaceful approach in negotiations with other countries."

"So, Do you think he'll try to take the Hokage title from Tsunade-sama?" asks Tenten with a bit of concern about her idol.

The woman shrugs, "It's not easy to tell." she replies, "Danzou-sama has never been what one would call predictable."

"I see." Tenten says, then bows respectfully, "Thanks, ma'am."

/Okay, Let's see how Sasuke's doing in the south./

In a rarely visited pub on the southern outskirts of Konoha, two middle-aged men are sitting at opposite sides of a table, apparently holding a meeting.

"Hey, Katagi." one says, "Didja hear?"

"Hear what?" responds Katagi with a question.

"Well," the first replies, leaning over the table to whisper, "I heard that the formerly disbanded Ne is back in operation."

"What!" Katagi responds in shock, though keeping his voice down, "Are you sure about this, Zanki?"

Zanki nods, "Hai." he replies.

Katagi leans back in his chair, "I don't believe this..." he says, more to himself than anyone as he closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, "I had heard rumors that Danzou bastard was still alive, but..."

Unseen by the two, a black cat hops up onto the sill of an open window, then jumps down outside the pub and makes its way to an alley where Sasuke drops his Henge no Jutsu to change from the cat back into himself. "Hn." he voices before quickly running to the other side of the alley where he presses his back against the wall closest the pub and peeks around the corner to see the two leave the pub. He pulls his head back into the alley as the two start to turn toward his direction and goes through several hand seals, "Henge no Jutsu." he states near silently to transform into an elderly old woman in order to perhaps gather more info from them.

/Lastly, On to Neji in the north./

Neji is standing atop a building, having placed himself at the rough center of the northern section of Konoha. With his Byakkugan activated, he's able to check the entirety of Konoha's northern end. "Hm?" he says, catching sight of an Anbu member who appears to waiting for someone, "What's a member of the Anbu doing here?"

While continuing to observe the Anbu member, Neji also sees a mysterious shinobi just a few meters away from the Anbu member.

/At the meeting area near the center of Konoha./

Precisely three hours later, all four shinobi arrive back at the meeting point at the exact same time, as per Neji's earlier instructions.

"What did you find, Tenten?" Neji asks his bun-haired female teammate, his Byakkugan still active.

"I found out that this mysterious Danzou you told us about is still trying to attain the position as Hokage." the brunette replies, "And, There seems to be a faction here in Konoha that actually supports him." she then turns toward Sakura, "What about you, Sakura?" she asks the other kunoichi of their temporary team.

"I heard a similar story." the pink-haired girl responds, actually talking more to their team-leader, Neji, than to Tenten, "I also heard that Danzou actually attempted to forcefully take over the position as Hokage with the help of Ne." "Did you find anything, Sasuke-kun?" she asks, looking over at the raven-haired Uchiha.

"..." Sasuke is silent initially as if in thought about something, however, he soon reveals what info he collected, "It seems this Danzou guy's not very popular... even in the southern areas of Konoha." he begins, "I mostly observed two male shinobi, probably chuunin, who seemed to know quite a bit about him and Ne. They also seemed to dislike both a good deal. Apparently, Ne was disbanded soon after the incident that Sakura mentioned and several shinobi here in the village actually thought Danzou to be dead." "However, with further observation, I found out a rumor that Ne is back in operation, but I didn't hear anything about Akatsuki."

"Me, neither." Sakura adds, lowering her head somewhat.

"Neither did I." Tenten says, then asks, "By the way, Neji, why do you have your Byakkugan active?"

"While scanning the northern sections of Konoha, I discovered an Anbu member who seems to be awaiting someone." Neji replies to the brown-haired girl, "So, I decided to continue to watch him and it appears that was the right decision."

"Why's that?" queries Tenten.

"His meeting just began." Neji responds, "The Anbu member, two unidentified shinobi, and there appears to be another a few meters away who's purpose seems to be that of hidden weapon." the Hyuuga's eyebrows narrow slightly, "Let's move, now!" he states and the four head toward the meeting, following Neji's lead.

/Scene-switch/

"Is that all?" queries one of the unknown shinobi to the Anbu member.

"Hai." the Anbu member responds with a quick nod, "Hm?" his head quickly spins to one side.

"What is it?" asks the second unknown shinobi.

The Anbu member turns his masked face back toward the two shinobi, "Someone's approaching!" he states, "Scatter!"

With that, the two shinobi run in different directions. One ducks into an alleyway, "Ugh!" is the only vocalization as his unconscious body flies back out of the alley and crashes against the side of a house before crumpling to the ground as Sakura walks out of the alley, dusting off her hands.

The other unknown shinobi is still running but shortly draws to a stop no more than ten or so feet away, "What the Hell!" he states, finding himself surrounded by various weapons. Tenten is then revealed, holding the weapons in place with chakra-strings extended from her fingertips.

"Soshoryuu!" Tenten states as she jerks on the chakra-strings, effectively causing every single airborne weapon to fly at the un-named shinobi from all sides... but, true to being a Konoha weapon specialist, her aim avoids any vital areas and is successful in wounding and weakening the shinobi to prevent his escape while leaving him alive.

"What's going on!" demands the Anbu member, still standing in the same place as before.

Neji walks onto the scene next, approaching from directly infront of the Anbu member, "Tell us," he questions, "Are you working with Akatsuki?"

"What are--?"

"Answer the question!" demands Neji, glaring at the Anbu member with his Byakkugan still active.

"Heh." the Anbu member responds, taking a single backstep, "I don't have to tell you a damned thing!" he snaps the fingers of his right hand, however, nothing happens, "What! Where's Saizou?"

"Take a look behind you." Neji says calmly, nodding his head toward the direction of the Anbu member's back.

The Anbu member slowly turns his head to see Sasuke approaching from behind him, carrying a body over his right shoulder. Sasuke stops and drops the body off his shoulder to land on its back, the man's muscles tighten in pain signifying that he is still alive. A wound is noticeable in the injured shinobi's lower right chest revealing that he has apparently been struck by the Chidori.

"Saizou!" the Anbu states, then turns back toward Neji, "Tch!" He reaches into a pouch at the back of his waist, "This isn't over, yet!" he states as he pulls out a small orb and throws it against the ground at his feet, releasing a smoke cloud that envelopes the whole area.

However, Before the Anbu member can make good on his escape, a right palm is thrust against the left side of his chest. As the smoke clears, Neji is revealed with his right arm outstretched slightly, palm toward the Anbu member.

"Even though you're an Anbu," Neji says, calmly, "Nothing escapes my eyes."

The Anbu member coughs up a mouthful of blood as he clutches the left side of his chest and stumbles backward until he falls back against a wall, bracing him.

"I caused a moderate amount of damage to your left lung." Neji explains, "That's why you're starting to have difficulty breathing..." Just as Neji's words are spoken, the Anbu member gasps for air. "It's not enough to kill you." the pearl-eyed jounin continues, "Now, do you still refuse to answer the question?"

"Grrr." the Anbu growls somewhat, but otherwise refuses to speak at all.

"That doesn't leave any choice." Neji says, then turns to Sasuke, "Begin the interrogation, Uchiha."

Sasuke nods and walks over to the defeated Anbu, he grips the Anbu's right shoulder in his left hand and pushes him up against the wall in a more upright position before using his right hand to jerk off the Anbu mask, revealing the person's appearance to be that of a man in his early twenties with light brown hair and brown eyes. Sasuke leans closer to him and activates his Sharingan, though it seems a bit different from normal as the three tomoe inside begin spinning in the opposite direction of the -wheel-. The Anbu's eyes widen as he stares back into this new Sharingan of Sasuke's.

"Are you a member of Ne?" questions Sasuke, sternly.

The man nods in response, "Y-yes," he says, apparently frightened, "We, Ne, are a branch of Anbu c-created by Danzou-sama."

"Is Ne connected to the Akatsuki?" Sasuke interrogates, maintaining his same tone of speech. Receiving another nod, Sasuke continues the inquiry, "How?"

"D-during my time in Anbu, I was once a subordinate of U-Uchiha Itachi-sama." the man reveals, "That's why I was chosen a-as the liaison with Akatsuki. My job here was to keep a close eye on the Godaime's actions, a-as well as reporting to Itachi-sama as to Uzumaki N-Naruto's assigned missions."

Sasuke shoves the man back harder against the wall, "Where is Uchiha Itachi now?" he demands.

"Gah!" the man's first response is to his back being thrust against the wall, then replies, "S-somewhere on the b-border between the Fire Country and the Wind Country."

Upon hearing the rough location of Itachi, Sasuke shoves the de-masked Anbu to his left where Neji knocks him unconscious. Sasuke's eyes suddenly close tightly as he grips his forehead in his right hand before dropping to one knee.

Sakura rushes to his side and kneels next to him, "Sasuke-kun, What's wrong?" she questions worriedly.

"It... it's nothing, I'm fine." Sasuke responds, shaking his head slightly before pushing himself back to his feet, "The new Sharingan ability I developed drains alot of my chakra and it has some after-effects."

Neji stands up from leaning the unconscious Anbu against a wall, "We have confirmation of a connection." he says, addressing the other members of this temporary team, "Uchiha, You should report this to Godaime-sama. Haruno will accompany you."

"Why me?" Sasuke questions, unsure as to whether Tsunade would even believe him or not.

"You performed the interrogation." Neji replies, simply, "Therefore, You are the obvious candidate to report to the Godaime. Haruno will be able to somewhat allay Godaime-sama's doubts, should she possess any. Also, She will be accompanying you as a medical ninja, should your condition worsen." "Meanwhile," the young jounin continues, "We'll take these four into custody."

With a somewhat irritated sigh, Sasuke finally agrees and he leaves to give the report, accompanied closely by the pink-haired Sakura.

(-To Be Continued-)

Ramblings: Well, There's Chapter 2! Okay, Thoughts and Comments, Complaints and Flames, all can be submitted with a review. I'll be back soon, hopefully, with the third chapter. Okay, Ja for now. 


	3. The Assigned Mission

(-Author's Notes-) 

Here I am with the third chapter! I'll be picking up where I left off in the last one, Sasuke and Sakura reporting to Tsunade. Btw, Just a quick reminder, the main pairings in this fic are: Sasuke/Sakura and Neji/Tenten (P.S. There are hints at the Naruto/Hinata pairing in this chapter). Okay, On with chapter 3!

But first, I wanna send out a big THANK YOU! for all the reviews I've received thus far for this fanfic. And, Please don't get upset if it takes me a few days to update between chapters, I'm a pretty slow typist and I have lots of days that my creative process is slowed even further... Ah well, Just bear with me if you can, okay?

Oh, btw, I have a new way of typing thoughts, like this ("How?"). Okay, Now on with the chapter!

(-THE ASSIGNED MISSION-)

)-Tsunade's Office-(

Sasuke is just finishing the report, "And, We acquired a rough location of the Akatsuki members', Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, whereabouts."

"It's true, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura adds from beside Sasuke, "Myself, Neji-san and Tenten-san all heard the Anbu member's confession."

Suddenly, Shizune rushes into the room and whispers something to Tsunade before stepping back, bowing and then leaving the room. "It seems you're telling the truth." Tsunade says, ruffling through some of the many papers atop her desk, "Several members of Anbu have just disappeared in the last thirty minutes." "Okay then," she continues, pulling open a desk-drawer to retrieve a scroll, "I'm ordering a mission to locate and eliminate Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame." she hands the scroll to Sakura, "These are your orders." she says, "Report back here tomorrow morning and I'll have a team ready to disembark on this mission."

"But!" Sasuke starts to retort.

"Look, Sasuke." Tsunade says, "Uchiha Itachi isn't your ordinary enemy as you should know." "Don't rush into a fight with him, blindly." she continues, "Rest tonight and finish regaining your strength."

Sasuke agrees, albeit reluctantly, before he and Sakura turn to exit out the door. Once outside, Sasuke turns to leave just as a hand is placed on his shoulder as well as one on Sakura's shoulder.

"Well, What d'you say we start training?" Kakashi says from behind the two young ninja, his visible eye curling into a smile.

/Short Time-Skip/

Training ground 7, "Okay, First off." Kakashi says as a dingling sound is heard. He turns to Sasuke, holding one of those infamous bells in his right hand. The white-haired jounin ties the bell to the side of his belt, "Now, You'll have to try and take this bell." he says before pushing up his hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan-embued left eye, "By the way, Naruto and Sakura already succeeded in this excerise."

"Hn." is Sasuke's response as he activates his Sharingan.

Fast forward to both shinobi being winded and breathing heavily, however, Kakashi is still in possession of the mystical bell. ("Damn!") Sasuke states to himself, ("How can his ability with the Sharingan still match mine?")

("Just as I expected, Sasuke. You've grown alot.") Kakashi thinks, beginning to feel the adverse effects of continuous use of the Sharingan. "Just like before, your growth surpasses the others." the jounin says before vanishing with Shunshin no Jutsu.

("That's it!") Sasuke concludes before Kakashi appears behind him, coming around with a right front-roundhouse kick.

Kakashi's eyes widen just slightly as his kick connects, having expected Sasuke to block the move or counter it.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura calls from the sidelines as the Uchiha prodigy practically skids along the ground to a stop.

"Why didn't you try to avoid it?" questions Kakashi, curiously, as he blinks his eyes once.

"Heh." is Sasuke's response as he pushes himself up to a sitting position, he cracks a slight grin. "Cause you were expecting it." he replies, then holds up the bell in his left hand, "Lose something?" He dingles the bell, causing Sakura to smile and Kakashi to quickly check the side of his belt to find the bell missing.

"Good job, Sasuke." Kakashi says, pulling his hitai-ate back down to cover his left eye as he breathes out a puff of air. Afterward, The white-haired jounin reaches into one of his vest pockets with his right hand and pulls out Icha Icha Tactics, flipping it open and reading a bit before snapping it back closed. He places the book back into his pocket and raises his gaze up toward Sasuke, "Okay, Now we can start training for real." he says, wearing his normal dull expression again.

/Scene-Switch/

Training ground 12, Neji is standing in the center of a circle of scattered weapons with his Byakkugan active and Tenten is shown several feet behind him, her body slumped forward slighty and her breathing is a bit heavy. (In case you don't remember, an almost identical scene was shown of these two in one of the panels before the Chuunin Exam Finals started.)

An upclose of Neji's right eye is shown, Tenten visible through it. Neji makes a realization at this point and closes his eyes slowly as he deactivates his Byakkugan. "Tenten." The Hyuuga genius says, quickly gaining the brown-haired girl's attention. Neji opens his eyes as he turns toward her, taking his Jyuuken stance, "Come at me." he adds.

"Huh?" Tenten responds, snapping her head back slightly. "What do you mean, Neji?" She asks, blinking her eyes once.

"I realized..." Neji replies, closing his eyes for a moment before re-opening them, "Since we've been teammates, I've asked for your help countless times in my training." "But, Not once have I offered to help you." He adds, smiling at his female teammate.

Tenten seems to accept that, though, not really minding the way things have went since they became a team. Never-the-less, The bun-haired girl takes a textbook fighting stance before pushing off in a dash at her teammate.

(Now, If you all are wondering. I know this is a little out of purist-form, but I decided to have Neji teach Tenten just some basic Jyuuken Taijutsu. Now, Normally, It would be completely un-acceptable that the Hyuuga-style would be taught to someone outside the family, however, I like the Neji/Tenten pairing and believe she may be a member of the family one day. -Big Smile-. Though, This fic won't stretch that far into the future)

/Scene-Switch/

Back at Training Ground 7, Sasuke and Sakura are now both winded as their former sensei seems to have gotten some sort of second wind.

Sasuke pushes himself back to his feet, "What's the point in this?" he questions, "I've been training for the past three years to defeat Itachi."

"Sasuke, You're still not ready to face him." Kakashi says, back to being rather serious (love those quick mood changes of Kakashi's, eh?).

"What do you mean?" demands Sasuke, wanting to know how much more he has to endure to reach the same level of his brother.

"Well," Kakashi replies with a shrug, "What if you've prepared Chidori in an attempt to finish Itachi," "And then, this happens?" his voice says from behind the Uchiha, causing the raven-haired young shinobi to turn and see a kage-bunshin behind Sakura, holding her left arm behind her back and pointing a kunai at her throat.

"What're you doing!" Sasuke states, spinning his head back toward Kakashi, "Let her go!"

"See what I mean?" Kakashi responds, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "It's almost like you forget what Itachi's capable of, tactics like this are very much within his ability." "If you can't keep your head straight, Itachi'll just beat the Hell outta you again." The spikey-haired jounin continues, his visible eye holding complete seriousness, "Now, How do you remedy this situation?"

"Huh?"

"Well, There's two obvious options." Kakashi explains, "1: You attack and kill Itachi -me-. Or 2: You attempt to save your teammate and let him -me- escape?" "Option 2 is very risky as you may cause Sakura's death by attempting to save her. While, at the same time, Option 1 guarantees her death."

Sasuke closes his Sharingan-active eyes, "Hn." he responds before the trace of a smirk crosses his lips. "How about Option 3?" He adds as his eyes snap open, his hands performing several seals, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" utilizing his famous 'fireball' jutsu.

Sakura half-grins as she reaches up with her right hand to grip the bunshin's kunai-holding hand by the wrist, pulling the weapon away from her throat using her chakra-control enhanced strength to overpower the Kakashi-clone. The green-eyed kunoichi then throws the kage-bunshin over her left shoulder and onto the ground before driving a high-powered right punch down into it, causing it to dissipate as she raises her eyes toward Kakashi.

"Did you forget the first rule you taught us?" queries Sasuke, causing Kakashi to turn his gaze from Sakura to the advancing Uchiha who quickly drops down and kicks the spikey-haired jounin into the air before using 'Shunshin no Jutsu' to appear behind him, wrapping his legs around Kakashi's waist. "Teamwork." Sasuke adds, turning Kakashi upside-down in the air, "And, Trust in your teammates' abilities." With that, he finishes performing his 'Hayabusa Otoshi' original Taijutsu, causing an explosion of dust as they impact the ground.

As the dust settles, Sasuke is shown with a log of wood having been the recipient of his move. Kakashi is shown sitting on a rock several feet away, having used 'Kawarimi no Jutsu' at the last second to avoid the damage from Sasuke's technique.

Kakashi breathes out a puff of air through his mask, "How about that?" he says, his eye back to normal laziness as he scratches the back of his neck with his right hand. "I guess I don't have that much to teach you, after all." He adds, his eye curving into a smile.

The next morning...

Sasuke meets up with Sakura outside the door to Tsunade's office.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"What is it?"

"Um, Did you mean what you said yesterday?" Sakura asks, "Do you really trust in my abilities now?"

"Hn." Sasuke responds, starting by her toward the door, "Well... I don't think you'll slow me down anymore." With that, The Uchiha opens the door.

Sakura smiles broadly before following into the room behind him. Once inside, The two young ninja are greeted by Tsunade sitting behind her large desk and Shizune standing next to it.

"Good." Tsunade says, looking up over the mass of un-done paperwork on her desk, "Now that you're here, I'll have Shikamaru introduce the other members of the team." With that, The aforementioned shadow-user enters the office to stand at the opposite end of Tsunade's desk to Shizune.

Shikamaru yawns once before beginning, "Your teammates for this mission will be Hyuuga Neji and Tenten." he explains, Tsunade giving a gesture to have them shown in.

"Not that I have an objection or anything," Sakura says, "But, Why them?"

"The truth is, you've already proven that the four of you can cooperate as a unit." Tsunade replies, "Though it was an unsanctioned mission, it was still adeptly executed. Now, For a refresher of your orders. Shikamaru?"

"Right..." Shikamaru responds in a bored tone, "Okay, Your mission will be to track down and eliminate the wanted criminals, Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi." "Since your opponents are S-Rank criminals, you'll hafta use the utmost caution in fulfilling your objective." He continues after pausing to take a breath, "Now, Hyuuga Neji. As a jounin, you will be commander for this mission. It's up to you how to assign other tasks." "Next, Haruno Sakura will be the medical ninja for the mission. Her primary role will be to act as medic, though she's capable of assisting if things get too rough." "Tenten, Your job is to keep a check on everyone's ningu supply." The lazy chuunin continues, pausing to yawn again, "And, Uchiha Sasuke. Your primary role on the team is as a counter-measure to Uchiha Itachi and his Sharingan."

"Thanks, Shikamaru." Tsunade says, "You're dismissed now."

"Good." Shikamaru responds, stretching his arms as he walks over to a vacant chair in one corner of the room, "Think I'll have a nap before I head over to the academy." With that, he folds his arms over his chest and lowers his head, falling asleep rather quickly.

"Alright, Before you begin the mission," Tsunade says, gaining the attention of the four young ninja, "I have a suggestion on luring the Akatsuki out." ...

/Scene-Switch/

Naruto and Hinata are sitting at the counter in the Ichiraku Ramen, the blonde-haired jinchuuriki devouring a helpless bowl of ramen as Hinata just sits there watching him and smiling. Suddenly, though, Naruto raises his head, "A-a-achoo!" he sneezes, a sure sign that someone's talking about him behind his back. However, The spikey-headed blonde boy just shrugs it off and continues eating his ramen.

"U-um... N-Naruto-kun, I--" Hinata attempts, seeming to have something important to tell her quite obvious crush about, however, she's interrupted.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" a male shinobi says, gaining the two's attention.

"Huh? What is it?" questions Naruto, ("Maybe it's some super important mission!")

"I have a message from Godaime-sama!" the man replies, "You have been assigned a mission! You are to report to Godaime-sama's office immediately! That's all!" With that, the male shinobi leaps away.

After a few moments of silence, during which Naruto questions himself on whether he's becoming psychic or not, the blonde jinchuuriki leaps up with a quick, "All right!" Obviously, His almost serious streak that he attained during Sasuke's absence apparently having vanished since the Uchiha's return.

)-Tsunade's Office/Shortly Thereafter-(

"WHAAAAT?" questions Naruto, his eyes wide in confusion and his jaw dropped down disbelievingly, "You want me to be BAIT?"

(-The End-)

Ramblings: What do you think, huh? Going pretty good or not very well? I'm happy with all the reviews I've been getting so far with this here fanfic and I think it's coming out pretty much the way I planned it. Btw, In case you're all wondering, the 'Assigned Mission' is the one of Naruto's in the end of the chapter. Well, Keep those reviews coming, okay? Ja till next chapter!


	4. Clash! Neji vs Kisame & Sasuke vs Itachi

(-Author's Notes-)

Here's the fourth chapter of Threat From Within! Thanks again to everyone reading and reviewing! And, I'd like to apologize again about my slow updates, as I don't often get chances to type. Anyhoo, Here's the next chapter and it's time for the mission to commence!

(-CLASH! NEJI VS KISAME & SASUKE VS ITACHI-)

Roughly a mile outside Konohagakure, Sasuke is shown dragging a tied-up Naruto behind him.

"Why the Hell're you doin' this, Sasuke!" Naruto demands as he struggles against the ropes, "I really thought we could trust you again! Dattebayou!"

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke responds in a calm voice before he comes to a stop. He jerks Naruto forward and tosses him onto the ground a few feet infront of himself. The raven-haired Uchiha then scans his obsidian eyes to the left and then the right, "Uchiha Itachi, Can you hear me?" he questions.

Almost as if on que, Itachi walks out of the nearby forested area, "Well, If it isn't my foolish little brother." he says, condescendingly, "And bearing gifts, no less." His expression remaining as if frozen.

"You, the Akatsuki, are after the bijuu, right?" Sasuke questions, surprisingly maintaining his calm before his older brother, "Yet, You've also allied with the rogue faction of ANBU, Ne, haven't you?"

"This is the deal." Sasuke continues, his obsidian eyes never flinching, "If you agree to break off connections with Ne, you can take the Kyuubi from Naruto."

"Hey! What're you talking about, Sasuke-teme! Dattebayou!" Naruto demands from the ground.

"Silence!" Sasuke states, solidly yet calmly, then re-addresses his brother, "So, What's your answer?"

"..." Initially silent, Itachi soon responds, "Heh. You actually thought your little ruse would work?" he queries, almost appearing amused, "Kisame."

"Right here, Itachi-san." The shark-faced man responds as he steps into the clearing and tosses both Sakura and Tenten onto the ground, neither appearing to be very injured, "Found those mice you told me about."

"Tch! Damn." Sasuke says upon seeing that Sakura and Tenten were caught, "Looks like we were the ones that got trapped..." With that, he adjusts his hitai-ate slightly and Naruto notices.

Naruto releases the ropes that were supposedly holding him and leaps off the ground at Itachi, his right fist drawn back for an attack. The blonde-haired jinchuuriki thrusts his fist at the elder Uchiha brother only for the Mangekyou-Sharingan user to vanish just as his attack would've made contact. "Damn!" Naruto says, jerking his head to the right only in time to see Itachi swinging his right hand down against the back of his head to knock him unconscious. Naruto stumbles a few steps before falling to the ground, completely out of it.

Itachi glances over his shoulder at Naruto, "You, I'll deal with shortly." he says, his voice maintaining its cold, calculating tone, before he turns his gaze back to his younger brother, "Did you really think the four of you were capable of defeating me, foolish little brother?"

Sasuke lowers his head until his eyes are shaded by his bangs before a slightly grin appears on his lips, "Not really." he responds.

Itachi's eyes twitch just a bit before he evades, in an instant, a left palm strike from behind. His Mange-embued eyes catch sight of pearl white ones as Neji attempts a right palm strike, aiming for the Uchiha's chest. Itachi avoids this strike also, followed by evading another left strike, then left elbow and finally vanishing as Neji tries another right palm strike. Neji quickly draws a kunai from the pouch on his right leg and deflects two shuriken that fly at him from his right side, "I see you." he says as he turns toward Itachi.

Itachi sees the veins through the sides of Neji's face and deduces what clan he belongs to, "... a Hyuuga." the elder Uchiha says, calmly, "You should know, Your Byakugan is nothing compared to my Sharingan." "Besides," He adds, "I don't have time to waste beating you."

"Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu!" Kisame's voice states from off to one side as a burst of water closes in on Neji only to to be met by...

"Hakkeshou: Kaiten!" The Hyuuga states as he spins and uses the technique to block Kisame's water-element jutsu. "I see." Neji says before turning and running into the woods.

"Follow him, Kisame." Itachi says, calmly, "But be careful of him, he could prove troublesome." Kisame nods and gives chase to Neji.

"Thank you, Itachi." Sasuke says, amazingly still calm himself, "Now, I can avenge our clan." With that, The younger Uchiha takes a fighting stance and raises his gaze toward Itachi, Sharingan now active.

/SWITCH/

Neji is running through the forest as Kisame gives chase. Observing the situation back at the clearing, Neji kicks up a bit of dust as he somewhat scraps to a stop and turns toward the area Kisame will approach from, taking his Jyuuken stance, ("This should be far enough.") he thinks to himself, ("Hm, I wonder if it was a good choice for Haruno and Tenten to let themselves be caught?")

Kisame walks into the area where Neji stopped to see the Hyuuga in his fighting posture, "So, The white-eyed guppy has decided to fight the shark?" he questions as though he's far supierior to Neji.

"Hmf." Neji responds, calmly. "Hoshigaki Kisame, You are a wanted S-Class criminal." The Hyuuga says, "As a Jounin of Konohagakure, I will carry out your sentence here and now." He closes his eyes momentarily, "And, That sentence is... death." he adds as his eyes snap back open with the Byakugan active before running toward the shark-faced nuke-nin.

("Strange eyes.") Kisame observes, ("They seem to possess a piercing vision.") "Well, You certainly are an arrogant little bastard, aren't you?" The shark-faced man says as Neji approaches him, "Try this. Suiton: Bakusui Shouha!" he performs several hand-seals to create a tidal wave that moves toward the advancing Hyuuga.

However, The wave only clashes against Neji's Kaiten, leaving the Hyuuga unaffected by the attack only to see Kisame approaching as he pulls his large sword from his back and swings it at the pearl-eyed jounin. Once again, Neji activates Kaiten only to notice a grin on Kisame's face as his sword, Samehada, absorbs the emitted chakra of the Kaiten and continues its arc toward the Hyuuga. Neji barely manages to leap back out the sword's path, a cut appearing in the front of his haori top.

Neji narrows his eyebrows, "A... chakra-absorbing blade?" he questions.

"That's right." Kisame responds, holding Samehada up horizontally in front of himself, "This sword's name is Samehada and it absorbs the chakra of anyone its blade cuts as well as any emitted chakra it comes in contact with."

("If that's so,") Neji contemplates, ("then not only Kaiten, but my Jyuuken strikes are also useless against him as long as he has that sword.")

"What's the matter?" Kisame questions as he runs toward Neji, "What happened to that cocky attitude of yours?" He swings Samehada downward at Neji, but the pearl-eyed jounin manages to dodge again.

As Kisame continues his advances and swings, Neji is reduced to having no alternative but simply try to avoid the shark-faced shinobi's attacks until he is able to formulate a strategy to defeat him. Suddenly, Neji's right eyebrow twitches and Tenten is revealed a few feet behind Kisame. The bun-haired girl is on one knee and two scrolls are placed one to each of her sides in front of her, she makes several hand-seals before crossing her arms in front of herself.

("I see. So, It's that skill.") Neji says to himself before avoiding one more swing of Kisame's and leaping upward to land on a tree-branch before nodding.

"Who're you looking at?" Kisame questions before his eyes widen a bit at the sound of...

"Soshouryuu!" Tenten says as Kisame turns to see her. There's an explosion of smoke and two what appear to be dragons rise upward out of the smoke.

A moment later, The twin dragons are revealed to actually be two scrolls which spiral around one another. Tenten is shown again as she appears to almost vanish from the ground to leap up between the scrolls. The brown-haired girl begins summoning and tossing weapon after weapon at Kisame as she spins between the two scrolls and it begins to appear like a tornado in the air. However, Kisame cracks a grin as the mass of weapons approaches him and takes one full swing of Samehada to knock them back toward their origin. Tenten's spin comes to a sudden stop and she swings her arms outward, causing the weapons to change their direction and stop in mid-air. She then re-directs the weapons back at Kisame and swings her arms across her chest to send them back toward him again.

"Hah, Not bad little girl." Kisame says, before making several hand-seals.

Neji's eyebrows lift slightly, "That's..."

"Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu!" Kisame states upon making the final seal and a large burst of water flies toward Tenten, knocking away the weapons in an instant.

As the burst of water approaches her, Tenten gasps. "Oh no!" She says as she crosses her arms in a guarding fashion, however, the burst of water hits her full-force and knocks her back into a tree. The action knocks the wind out of the girl and her eyes close as she falls foward toward the ground.

Kisame repeats his hand gestures, "Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu!" he states again, firing a second burst of water at the now defenseless girl.

However, Before the blast hits Tenten, Neji leaps up and catches her just in time to get hit in the back by the attack. Fortunately, The Hyuuga manages to recover and uses a couple of branches as springboards to get Tenten out of the immediate area. Deeper into the forest, Neji stops and lies the unconscious Tenten down on the ground... fortunately enough, the bun-haired girl didn't sustain any severe injuries and is pretty much just knocked out.

("Damn!") Neji states in his mind, ("I didn't expect shark-face to be this strong!") He looks down at Tenten's face and smiles slightly, "Gomen-ne, Tenten." the Hyuuga says, "I don't think I can promise to come back, this time." One of Neji's eyebrows twitches just slightly as he sees Kisame slowly approaching from behind, still a good distance away. The pearl-eyed jounin quickly pulls a kunai from Tenten's back-pouch and tosses it in a direction off to his right.

Kisame hears a noise off to the right and turns somewhat toward it when Neji runs out of the denser wooded area behind the shark-faced S-class criminal. Neji quickly pulls his right hand back, prepared to deliver a palm strike to the Akatsuki member, however, Kisame notices the approaching Hyuuga and spins toward him as he slashes with Samehada. Neji stops abruptly and leaps back to avoid the chakra-draining blade. "Did you really think that trick would work on me?" Kisame questions, almost like he's mocking the young jounin, "Oh well, I've had fun playing with you, but this ends... NOW!" The shark-faced man quickly approaches Neji, drawing up Samehada for an overhead strike.

Neji activates Kaiten, seeming to forget that Samehada will just absorb the chakra of the defensive technique. Samehada's blade comes in contact with the chakra-field around Neji and, indeed, begins absorbing the chakra of the Kaiten. "That still won't work, kid!" Kisame states and, suddenly, Samehada breaks through the weakened Kaiten.

However, As the blade nears Neji, he stops and catches Samehada's blade between his open palms. "I know." The Hyuuga responds, "It was just a means to an end." Samehada, however, is currently absorbing the pearl-eyed jounin's chakra through his hands.

"What!"

"This 'Samehada' of yours..." Neji says, his Byakugan still in full-effect, "It absorbs chakra, and then uses that chakra to empower itself. Therefore, It must have a limit to the amount of chakra it can contain."

("What! Could he've truly realized Samehada's weakness? Or... Did he 'see' its weakness?") Kisame questions in his mind before...

"Hakke Kushou!" Neji states and forces his remaining chakra through his palms, directly into Samehada's blade to abruptly shatter the weapon into pieces.

Kisame takes three retreating steps back as Neji falls to the ground on his hands and knees. "I-Impossible!" Kisame states, looking at the shattered Samehada he's holding in his right hand, ("How could that kid have so much chakra? It exceeded the capacity of Samehada and... shattered it!") He looks down at the Hyuuga who is currently forcing himself to his feet. ("Hm, Not bad. This kid might've just made a fine addition to the Akatsuki.") The shark-faced man continues as he discards the shattered Samehada, ("Too bad I have to kill him now.") He leaps back several feet from Neji as the Hyuuga makes it back up to a standing position and raises his Byakugan toward Kisame.

("... I only have enough chakra left for either a Kaiten or Kushou...") Neji contemplates, furrowing his eyebrows, ("What should I do? Attack or Defend...?")

"Time to die, kid!" Kisame states, performing familiar hand-seals, "Suiton: Bakusui Shouha!" Suddenly, A tidal wave of water is sent toward Neji.

The wall of water hits Neji full-force and, as the water drains away, the Hyuuga is revealed laying against a broken tree. His Byakugan de-activated and blood trickling from the side of his mouth as Kisame approaches him. The shark-faced man leans over the seemingly unconscious Hyuuga, "Hey kid." he says, his shark-like teeth visible with his smirk, "Why didn't you use that defensive technique of yours again?"

Suddenly, Neji's eyes snap open toward the Akatsuki member, his Byakugan active again, and comes up with a right palm strike to the cloaked man's chest. "Because offense is needed." The Hyuuga explains, "Hakke Kushou!" With that, Kisame is sent flying backwards through a tree before hitting back-first against a stone boulder, breaking the shark-faced man's back and causing him to cough up blood before his body falls back against the boulder.

Kisame manages to raise his gaze toward Neji as the Hyuuga slowly approaches him. "H-How?" Kisame queries, coughing twice.

"I only had enough chakra for an attack or the Kaiten." Neji explains, breathing heavily, "So, I braced for your attack and, after being hit with it, you mistakingly believed I was defeated which allowed my counter-attack." "And, this," The pearl-eyed jounin adds, placing his palm on Kisame's chest, "is for Tenten."

Kisame forces a weak laugh, "Heh. Even if you kill me, You guys'll never be able to defeat Itachi-san." he says, before...

"Hakke Kushou!" Neji states, expulsing the remaining extents of his chakra through his palm into Kisame's torso. The force being enough to crush the boulder that the shark-faced man is lying against as well as, effectively, killing him.

Neji scans around behind himself to try to see how the younger Uchiha is faring against the elder one, however, he finds that his Byakugan is no longer able to see far enough to locate them due to his lack of chakra. He drops to his knees, "You had better win... Sasuke..." Neji says before his Byakugan de-activates as he falls to the ground, his eyes closing.

A short while prior, Back at the location of Sasuke and the others...

Itachi is glancing back over his right shoulder, in the direction of the forested area where Tenten ran off to, "So, That girl was acting, eh?" he says, amused, "I wonder if the other one is, as well?" He moves his eyes to Sakura who is still lying, seemingly unconscious, on the ground.

"Leave her out of this, Itachi." Sasuke says, gaining the elder Uchiha's attention, "It's time to settle things between us."

Itachi looks amused as a tiny smile tugs at the side of his lips. "Alright, foolish little brother." he says, "Let's see if you've actually improved." With that, The elder Uchiha removes his Akatsuki-cloak and adds, "What are you waiting for?"

Sasuke pushes off with his right foot in a dash toward Itachi...

(-To Be Continued-)

Ramblings: Next chapter, 'Climactic Battle! Sasuke's Potential!' See you there! Ja. 


	5. Climactic Battle! Sasuke's Potential

(-Author's Notes-)

Standing at the crossroads of the past and future, the showdown between Sasuke and Itachi happens in the present. Is hatred enough to attain vengeance? Or, Is there another path to defeat Itachi?

**(-CLIMACTIC BATTLE! SASUKE'S POTENTIAL!-)**

As the only two remaining Uchiha stand facing each other, a dry breeze rolls through, ruffling the grass and blowing Sasuke's bangs across his face. It's as if hours seem to tick by with nothing happening. Sasuke suddenly pushes off in a dash, seeming to vanish due to his speed and tearing up the ground that his foot pushed against.

"Fast, Sasuke." Itachi says calmly as he catches the younger Uchiha's right forearm, stopping the intended punch from the elder brother's right side. "But not fast enough." The elder Uchiha finishes before jerking Sasuke forward and thrusting his right elbow toward his face... "Hm?" Itachi glances to his right side to see that Sasuke blocked the elbow-strike with his left palm.

"Trust me, Onii-san. I haven't even tried yet." Sasuke reveals, maintaining as solid a calmness as Itachi himself, "Take this, Chidori Nagashi!" The younger Uchiha brother unleashes a full-body variation of the Chidori which acts kind of like a chakra-net around him that blows Itachi away. Sasuke lowers his arms to his sides and closes his eyes, "When are you going to take me seriously?" he queries as the Itachi he just attacked disappears in a puff of smoke, "Using a combination of Kawarimi no Jutsu and Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu. I could tell the moment you escaped." Sasuke re-opens his Sharingan-active eyes and shifts them to his left as the view shifts too, to reveal Itachi standing atop a tree-branch still wearing his perfectly calm expression.

"You've actually grown, Sasuke." Itachi says, though somewhat condescendingly, "I think fighting you may actually be worth my time now." Suddenly, He seems to disappear only to re-appear right in front of Sasuke to attempt a right punch which the younger Uchiha blocks with his left forearm. Sasuke drops and attempts a left sweep at Itachi's legs, however, Itachi jumps up to avoid it and comes down with his elbow aimed at the top of Sasuke's head. However, Sasuke evades by seeming to vanish due to his speed only to be hit in the abdomen with a right elbow-strike when he appears behind Itachi, knocking the wind out of the younger Uchiha. Itachi rightens his posture before, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he states before drawing in a large breath and breathing out a searing stream of fire from less than two feet away from Sasuke. After a moment, Itachi says, "Perhaps not." However, Once the fire settles there's no trace of Sasuke, "Huh? Where is he?" Itachi queries, almost surprised, "He didn't use Ninjutsu to avoid it so..."

"It's Taijutsu." Sasuke says calmly from behind Itachi, causing the elder Uchiha brother's Mangekyou-embued eyes to widen ever-so-slightly.

Itachi suddenly spins to attempt a right backhand at Sasuke who seems to vanish again. With his movement speed, Sasuke seems to appear and disappear around the area where Itachi is standing before the younger Uchiha finally stops several feet directly in front of his brother.

Sasuke takes a different fighting stance from before, this time with his right arm pointed forward with the palm open and facing left and his left arm pulled back with the elbow bent at his side, "I have a thick-browed weirdo to thank for this information." the younger Uchiha explains, "Though the Sharingan is able to see through Taijutsu and, in its advanced state, predict Taijutsu moves... it doesn't matter if your body is too slow to counter." "Hn. How about I use Ninjutsu next?" Sasuke says with the same demeanor he has possessed since the on-set. The younger Uchiha leaps into the air and performs several hand-seals, "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" he states before breathing out several small fireballs toward Itachi.

However, Itachi dodges the attack and retaliates with, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he states, once again breathing out a stream of fire at the still airborne Sasuke. Sasuke, though, quickly uses Shunshin no Jutsu to avoid the attack and is soon back on the ground facing toward Itachi. The elder Uchiha proves, however, that he predicted this as he follows up by attacking with, "Suiton: Suigaadan no Jutsu!" causing water-spikes to encircle Sasuke.

Sasuke quickly performs several hand-seals, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he states, using the fireball to combat the water-attack of Itachi's. However, Being water-based means Itachi's attack of course puts the fire-based Goukakyuu out and the spikes launch inward toward where Sasuke was but isn't now. "Try this, Onii-san." Sasuke says, "Soufuushasan no Tachi!" as several kunai and shuriken whizz past the elder Uchiha on both sides and Sasuke pulls on the wires connected to them to cause them to encircle Itachi.

Itachi, though, maintains his practically stoic expression, "So, You can even use the Manipulating Windmill Triple Blades?" he questions almost as if he's amused.

"I'm not done yet." Sasuke says, performing several hand-seals, "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!" He sends the fireball, this time, along the wires directly toward Itachi. However, Before the attack even hits, Itachi seems to explode. "What!" Sasuke says, finally being stunned, "Was that Bunshin Daibakuha?" "Damn!" He adds as he spins around only to be hit in the left side of the face by a right punch from Itachi, followed by a left punch to the younger Uchiha's abdomen causing him to bend forward slightly before Itachi hits once more with a right backhand to knock him to the ground.

("Damn!") Sasuke curses mentally, ("Despite everything I've done, why is there still such a difference?")

As Sasuke starts to push himself up, Itachi uses his left foot to push his younger brother back onto the ground. "Look at you, Sasuke." Itachi says, still the same expression, "Despite all of that growth, you're still the same foolish little brother you always have been." As he finishes the sentence, he raises his left foot slightly and stomps Sasuke's chest. "This time, I'll make sure you experience enough pain to last." Itachi says as he leans down to activate Tsukuyomi and Sasuke's eyes are forced to look up into the Mangekyou.

"Damn you! Leave Sasuke-kun alone!" Sakura's voice suddenly states from off to one side, causing Itachi to glance over at the approaching kunoichi who has her right fist drawn back. However, Before she reaches where Sasuke and Itachi are, Itachi seems to vanish before appearing behind Sakura. "Huh?" Sakura stops running, "Where is he?" She then gasps at the realization that he's behind her and she starts to turn only to be hit in the face by a left backhand that knocks her several feet away and onto the ground hard.

Sasuke manages to look toward Sakura before moving his gaze unsteadily to Itachi. "It seems your friends are as foolish as you, little brother." Itachi says, glancing sideways toward Sasuke before a view of the still-yet unconscious Naruto is shown, "Perhaps..." He quickly draws a kunai in his right hand as Sakura makes it up to her hands and knees, "If I take them both away from you, you'll stop being so soft!" He quickly runs toward the injured pink-haired girl at a speed only followable by the Sharingan.

("Damn it, Itachi!") Sasuke states to himself, trying to force his way up, despite having endured Tsukuyomi, ("I... I won't let you!")

As Itachi reaches Sakura, she looks up at the elder Uchiha brother and we're given a close-up view of her face as her green eyes widen. Suddenly, There's a flash of red and blood is streaked across Sakura's face. After a moment or so of pure silence and non-motion, Sakura gasps before it's revealed that Itachi, not her, was the one who was hit... with the Chidori. Sakura's eyes widen futher at the sight of Sasuke's left hand protruding through the left side of Itachi's chest, the younger Uchiha's right hand also having caught Itachi's right wrist to stop the kunai-strike.

Itachi coughs up blood before casting his gaze back over his right shoulder, "H-how did you...?" he questions, blood trailing from his mouth, "I... used Tsukuyomi..."

"I..." Sasuke responds, his Sharingan still in effect, "I won't let you... take the life of anyone else who's important to me!" He finishes in a solid statement as Itachi gains a look of almost fear in his eyes before Sasuke jerks his arm free and seemingly vanishes before hitting Itachi from below with a left upward kick, knocking the elder Uchiha into the air.

Sasuke places himself in a crouch with his hands against the ground and almost appears to vanish to leap up toward Itachi using Kage Buyo. Appearing behind Itachi, Sasuke places the index and middle fingers of his right hand against Itachi's back. "It's time to finish this..." Sasuke says before moving his hand away from Itachi's back and bringing up his right leg to kick his elder brother in the right side, spinning and hitting him in the chin with a left backhand that angles him in the direction of the ground. Sasuke follows up by bringing his right fist down to punch Itachi as he spins around and brings his left leg down in a rolling wheel kick "Shishi Rendan!" Sasuke states as the wheel kick connects with Itachi's torso right as the elder Uchiha hits the ground.

**(-To Be Continued-)**

Ramblings: Sakura looks on as Sasuke finally obtains his vengeance, is Itachi defeated? Next time: 'A Greater Threat?' Be sure to tune in. Ja.


	6. A Greater Threat?

(-Author's Notes-)

No notes, read on...

**(-A GREATER THREAT?-)**

"Shishi Rendan!" Sasuke states as his wheel kick connects with Itachi's torso right as the elder Uchiha hits the ground, tearing it up around where Itachi landed.

Sasuke flips back away from Itachi and lands in a crouch as Itachi's body rests against the ground. Itachi's Sharingan de-activates as forces his head to turn, casting his normal gaze toward Sasuke as the younger Uchiha continues resisting the effect of Tsukuyomi.

(-Flashback-)

"Do you hate me?" Itachi asks Sasuke who's sitting next to him, "It's okay. Being a ninja is to be hated by people."

"No, I didn't think that way!..." Sasuke responds only to lower his head, "Onii-san is right. I did hate him."

"Don't worry, Being outstanding isn't always good." Itachi says, turning his gaze away from Sasuke, "Because when people obtain power, they become arrogant." "Even if you want to become this outstanding," He continues, "I have to become the obstacle that you must break through." He stands up to begin walking away, adding, "Because, That's what an elder brother is."

(-End Flashback-)

After a couple moments, The elder Uchiha brother's eyes close and his breathing stops completely. Sasuke grips his head in his left hand as his Sharingan de-activates and his expression reveals that he indeed experienced the damage of Tsukuyomi.

Sakura snaps out of her partial trance when she notices and gets up to run to where Sasuke is. "Sasuke-kun!" She calls as she reaches the obsidian-eyed Uchiha. She kneels beside him and asks, "Are you okay? I can--"

"I'm fine." Sasuke interrupts, pushing himself to his feet, "We should find that Hyuuga guy." After a moment, Sakura nods and the two head into the forested area to find their two teammates.

When they locate Tenten and Neji, they discover that Neji is lying unconscious on the ground and Tenten is knelt next to him. Sasuke and Sakura also notice Kisame's dead body is lying nearby. As the two approach Tenten and Neji, they hear sobbing and quickly discover it's coming from the bun-haired girl. "Neji! Wake up!" Tenten says despite her sobs, "Please!"

Sakura runs over to the two and kneels on the opposite side of Neji to discover that the Hyuuga is, not only unconscious but, having difficulty breathing. The pinkhaired medical ninja places her palms on Neji's chest and breathes a sigh of relief, "There doesn't appear to be any major physical damage." she says to Tenten, "Apparently, Neji-san over-used his chakra and converted almost all of his stamina."

"D-Does that mean that Neji...?"

Sakura nods and smiles, "He'll be fine after I heal his injuries." she says, "And you can help him by sharing your chakra with him."

Tenten wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, mentally noting how out-of-character for herself crying is, and nods. The bun-haired girl then places her palms on Neji's chest as well and closes her eyes as she begins sharing her chakra with the pearl-eyed jounin. Meanwhile, Sakura uses her medical ninjutsu to heal the wound to the Hyuuga's chest as well as the internal injuries he sustained from Kisame's final attack. After a few moments of this, Neji starts to come around causing Sakura and Tenten to stop what they're doing as the Hyuuga's white eyes open. Neji pushes himself up into a sitting position and notices Sakura and Sasuke.

Sasuke stuffs his hands in his pockets, "Hn. Is that all a Hyuuga is capable of?" he questions cockily.

"I take it you were victorious also?" replies Neji with a question.

Sakura is the one to respond with a nod before saying, "Sasuke-kun was able to defeat Uchiha Itachi!"

"Hmf. Then the mission's a success." Neji says as he stands up, "We should report back to Godaime-sama." The other three agree and all four proceed back toward Konoha.

/Scene-Switch/

In Tsunade's office, Neji and the others are giving their report as to the mission's status.

"I see." Tsunade responds after the report is finished, "So, The mission was a success then?"

Neji nods, "Both S-rank criminals, Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi, have been eliminated." he replies, "Thus, Akatsuki is confirmed to have lost at least three of their shinobi."

Tsunade locks her hands together and places her elbows against the top of her desk, "Unfortunately, The Akatsuki are the least of our problems right now." she informs, "With the death of Uchiha Itachi, it means that you're now the last of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"This means that the greater threat, as of now, is Orochimaru as you're the only possessor of the Sharingan which he desires." The blonde Hokage further explains, "Therefore, He may attack Konoha at any time to try to retrieve you. Also, There's still the threat of Ne that we now have confirmation of. However, We know that it isn't Danzou."

"How can you be sure, Tsunade-shishou?" queries Sakura.

Tsunade stands up and walks to the window behind her chair to look outside, "Because an ANBU unit found his body less than two hours ago." she replies. "Nevertheless, Your mission is completed, so you can rest for the time being. Dismissed." The four bow before leaving.

Outside the building that contains Tsunade's office, The temporary team decides to part ways with Tenten and Neji leaving first, Tenten having convinced her pearl-eyed teammate to rest and recover his strength after the battle with Kisame. Meanwhile, Sasuke stuffs his hands in his pockets and starts off down the street in the opposite direction, leaving Sakura standing there alone as she lowers her gaze from watching Sasuke leave to the ground below her.

After a few steps, Sasuke stops walking, "... Sakura?" he says out of the blue.

"Huh?" Sakura responds, her head snapping up to restore her gaze toward the raven haired Uchiha, "What is it, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke glances back over his shoulder toward the pink haired medical ninja. "You... wanna get something to eat?" He asks her, a bit uncharacteristic for the Uchiha.

Sakura's hands clasp together in front of her chest as a smile spreads across her face, her cheeks tinting just a bit. The pink haired girl nods, "Sure!" she responds before running up beside the 'former' avenger and the two continue in the direction Sasuke was walking moments before.

Sasuke notices a different look on his pink haired teammate's face and asks, "Is something wrong?"

This snaps the girl from her thoughts and she turns toward the Uchiha beside her. "No, Nothing." She replies, smiling, "Just... I keep thinking we forgot something." The two stop walking to think about it before shrugging and continuing.

Meanwhile, A mile outside Konoha...

Kurenai, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino are just returning from a mission when they spy an orange and yellow lump some distance ahead. As they near the rather suspiciously familiar object, the team discovers it is indeed Naruto and he's lying unconscious on the ground. When the group stops near the unconscious blonde jinchuuriki, Hinata immediately blushes and ducks behind Kurenai to hide.

Shino and Kiba approach Naruto and Kiba kneels next to the orange-clad boy. "Oi, Naruto." the dog-user says, "What's wrong with you?" However, The brown haired boy gets no response.

Shino walks to Naruto's side and proceeds to kick him slightly, "... are you sure he's not dead?" the bug-user asks.

"Nah, He's breathing." Kiba responds, standing and picking up a stick that just-so-happens to be lying nearby. There's a loud thwacking sound is heard and a large bump proceeds to slowly sprout out the top of Naruto's head but, still, he fails to awaken. "Oi, Akamaru." Kiba then says to his large white partner, "It's your turn."

"Arf! Arf!" Akamaru responds before walking around behind the still unconscious Naruto. The white dog proceeds to walk between his legs and opens his mouth before chomping down on Naruto's behind... nothing.

From behind Kurenai, "N... Naruto-kun..." Hinata says in that voice of hers that can barely be heard by anyone.

Suddenly, Naruto flies up to a sitting position, screaming as if he was just having a nightmare. After a moment, The blonde boy looks around, "Huh? What happened? Where am I? Dattebayou!" he questions to no one, "Ow." He rubs the bump atop his head, "Why's there a large bump on my head?" he queries before noticing Kiba and the others.

**(-To Be Continued-)**

Ramblings: Will Orochimaru attack Konoha to get back Sasuke? Next time, "The True Threat From Within!"


	7. The True Threat From Within

(-Author's Notes-)

Okay, So maybe the title of this chapter is a little stupid but, the chapter'll be good... I hope. Thanks for the reviews thus far and I'll do my best on the rest of the chapters. Well, Let's get this one going.

(-THE TRUE THREAT FROM WITHIN-)

After having dinner at one of the restaurants in Konoha, Sasuke and Sakura have decided to take a nice walk through one of the forested areas in the village.

"Um... Sasuke-kun?" Sakura ventures at one point as the two walk along. Discovering she has the raven-haired Uchiha's attention, she continues with her question, "Why did you ask me out?"

The question causes Sasuke to stop walking and contemplate his answer. "The truth is," He says, "I... like you."

"Huh?" Sakura responds, her head snapping up toward her raven-haired companion as a light red hue colors her cheeks. "D-Do you mean that?" The pink-haired kunoichi asks nervously.

"... yeah." Sasuke replies after a moment of thought, "But, Orochimaru convinced me that I had to cut my relationships, in order to kill Itachi."

"Broken bonds can strengthen a person." A male voice says, pulling the two ninjas' attention toward the owner. Standing a distance in front of them, they see Neji and Tenten who are apparently in the park area for a walk, too. "However," Neji continues, "The forged bonds, themselves, can make one even stronger." The Hyuuga then notices the two's stare directed at his left hand, which is currently holding the right hand of his bun-haired teammate.

"What?" Neji queries with a smirk, "You think you're the only ones who can go out on a date?"

Tenten smiles as her cheeks become tainted with a faint pink. Despite that she has a habit of being a bit of a tomboy, the bun-haired girl can't help but feel happy that Neji finally asked her out.

/Scene-Switch/

Meanwhile, At the Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto and Hinata are again at counter as Hinata watches Naruto devour a bowl of ramen. Hinata smiles, her usual blush in full effect, at Naruto having (unknowingly) asked her out again.

"Hinata-chan." Naruto says, gaining the girl's immediate attention, "Aren't you gonna eat?"

Hinata blushes deeper, "Mm!" she voices with a slight nod. The blue-haired girl decides to eat her own ramen and picks up her chopsticks.

/Scene-Switch/

Atop a building somewhere in Konoha, Kakashi is standing with his nose buried in Icha Icha Tactics. "Well, It looks like things worked out." The spikey-haired jounin says, his visible eye poking up over the top of the book.

"So, Sakura was the 'something more important' you were talking about. Eh, Kakashi?" A female voice says from behind Kakashi.

Kakashi lowers Icha Icha Tactics and turns to see Kurenai. His right eye curls into a smile and, with a nod, he responds, "Yep!"

Kurenai shakes her head with a sigh before smiling at the white-haired jounin's sometimes immature demeanor. The crimson-eyed woman steps forward and grips the top of Kakashi's mask with the index finger and thumb of her right hand. As the female jounin starts to pull the mask down, Kakashi holds up his open Icha Icha Tactics book to somewhat hide their faces as they kiss.

/Scene-Switch/

Back at the area where Sasuke and Sakura had run into Neji and Tenten, the four are no longer present. Suddenly, Ino pops up from a nearby bush and folds her arms over her chest, "About time that Sasuke finally noticed Sakura!" she states with a nod, "Boy, His sense of priorities was really skewed!"

"What are you talking about?" Queries Shikamaru as he is revealed sitting behind another bush nearby.

"Come on, Shikamaru!" Ino responds, glancing over toward the lazy chuunin, "You know how long I've been trying to get those two together?" She finishes as she points off in a direction, probably the direction Sasuke and Sakura left in previously.

Shikamaru sighs, "Yare yare..." he says, boredly.

/Scene-Switch/

Atop the Hokage stone monument, a shadowy figure raises up into a standing position as a gust of wind stirs his cape-like coat, causing it to wave about behind him. He raises his head, his face remaining shaded but his eyes are shown clearly.

"And so, It begins again..." He says, darkly, "All is in readiness. This time, The Konoha -will- fall."

/Scene-Switch/

The unknown shinobi that Sasuke and the others met when he awoke in the hospital is knelt down atop a tree-branch in a random forest near Konoha. He has his right hand over his face, covering his eyes. "He shall be here, soon..." The shinobi says, moving his hand just enough to reveal one of his slitted eyes, "The pale serpent..."

A quick flash of Orochimaru is shown in clear view for a moment.

The mystery ninja stands up atop the branch he's on and gazes toward Konoha village. "I wonder..." He says in a monotone voice, "Perhaps the Konoha is indeed destined to fall..."

Suddenly, A raven-haired kunoichi leaps up onto a nearby tree-branch and glances over at the male shinobi. "It's time. The mission begins soon." She informs, then queries, "Shouldn't you meet with him?"

With a slight nod, the male shinobi responds, "Indeed." He turns toward the kunoichi. "Be cautious, Saiko." He adds, "Watch that you do not get drawn into this village's direct struggle."

This time, The kunoichi nods once, "I'll be okay, Toramaru." she responds, smiling.

Toramaru accepts Saiko's response before hopping off the tree-branch toward the ground several feet below, vanishing from view as he descends.

(-To Be Continued-)

Ramblings: Sorry this one's so short, but I couldn't think of any way to extend it farther. Never fear, however, as the next chapter will be longer, I assure you. On the downside, I'm not sure how long it will take for me to get it typed as I recently bought Samurai Warriors 2 and it's been taking up a lot of my time. Well, I think I've rambled enough, ja till next time. 


	8. The Serpent Strikes

(-Author's Notes-)

Well, Let us start the final battle, shall we? Read on...

(-THE SERPENT STRIKES-)

Massive explosions shake the very foundation of Konohagakure as enemy ninja enter the village from all sides, accompanied by several large snakes, including one with multiple heads.

)-Tsunade's Office-(

Aoba enters the room in a rush, "Godaime-sama!" he exclaims, "Sound ninja are attacking Konoha!"

Tsunade stands up and walks toward the window behind her desk just as another explosion rocks the building. "It's Orochimaru." She says, looking out the window, "He's come for Sasuke, just like I thought."

"Godaime-sama! What should we do?" Questions Aoba, "The Sound ninja are attacking from all sides and we--"

"I've already taken neccessary steps." Tsunade interrupts, seeming rather calm in light of the situation, "The students and other non-combatants are already in the secured location. And, I've sent word to the shinobi who are best qualified for this situation."

"Tsunade-sama, What do you mean?" Queries Shizune from beside the blonde's desk. Tsunade turns to her attendant and smiles a rather toothy grin that says '(Don't worry, everything'll be fine)', causing Shizune to smile in relief.

The scene suddenly switches to the spot the large two-headed snake is rampaging through just as it's caught in the large talons of a giant bird, a head in each, and crushed. The giant bird flies upward, carrying the snake's body with it as someone leaps off the bird's back and lands in the midst of many Oto-nins. Before we even get a clear view of the person, the Oto-nins lunge at him from all sides, however...

"Hakkeshou: Dai Kaiten!" The person states as the spinning chakra created by the move blows all of the enemy shinobi away. As the person comes to a stop in the center of the large crater created, it's revealed to be none other than Hyuuga Neji.

Neji raises his gaze forward, revealing his active Byakkugan, as he stands up straight. Even more Sound ninja surround him as the Hyuuga takes his Jyuuken stance, "It's futile," he says, simply, "No matter how many of you Orochimaru sends." "The Konoha will -not- crumble again." He then adds.

/Scene-Switch/

"Chidori!" Sasuke states as his left hand is thrust through the left side of a Oto-nin's chest.

Another Sound ninja attempts to attack Sasuke from his right... only to have a second Chidori, this one right-handed, thrust through his torso. As Sasuke jerks his hands free, he turns his Sharingan on the surrounding Oto-nins, causing them to back down frightenedly. He then activates Chidori again, one in each hand, and dashes toward the paralyzed enemies.

"Chidori Reppu!" Sasuke states as he dashes through the gathered Sound ninja, attacking at blinding speed. Time stops for but a second as the Uchiha thrusts a left-handed Chidori through the final enemy's chest before pulling his hand free and leaping over the Oto-nin to land in a kneel, the lightning-like energy of Chidori slowly fading from around his hands as the bodies of the defeated Sound ninja fall.

Sasuke stands up and stuffs his hands into his pockets, casting a quick glance back at his dead opponents, "Hn."

/Scene-Switch/

A view is shown of another part of the Konoha where the bodies of around a dozen Sound ninja lay on the ground, pretty much all seeming to have been killed with one type of weapon or another. The view changes to show someone's hand repeatedly pitching a kunai up and catching it, before the view pulls back to reveal Tenten.

"Konohagakure's weapons-specialist doesn't miss her target." She says just as she catches the handle of the kunai and, without looking, tosses it off to her right, hitting another Oto-nin in his left eye.

The bun-haired girl then ducks under an attack from her left as she turns toward the attacker and thrusts her right palm against his torso, forcing chakra into his chakra circulatory system and causing his heart to burst before he falls to the ground, dead. However, She's soon surrounded by even more Sound ninja, which causes her to sigh with a shrug before she quickly performs a set of very famous hand-seals, "Time for another new trick, Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu!" Two Tenten clones appear, back-to-back with the original in a tight pyramid-formation.

The three identical bun-haired girls cast a glance and a nod to each other before running toward the enemies and leaping over them. After circling the ground of enemies once, each Tenten reaches in her back-pouch and pulls out a weapon-summoning scroll, followed by tossing them into the air and forming several more hand-seals. "Kakouryuu!" All three state in unison as the scrolls appear to transform into gaseous dragons and fly downwards toward the Sound-nins. (Kakouryuu means Descending Dragons - a new jutsu I created for Tenten)

The three dragons descend until they near the enemies only to circle once above their heads before flying upwards again and practically twining themselves around one another, reverting to scrolls. Tenten(the original one) crouches down before seeming to disappear only to leap upward in the center of the three scrolls, "Issen Debabouchou no Mai!" She states as she begins summoning and tossing weapon after weapon down at the enemies. (Issen Debabouchou no Mai means Dance of 1,000 Knives - another jutsu I created for Tenten)

At the same time, Her two clones toss open the large scrolls their wearing and begin using the weapon-summoning technique to summon kunai and other weapons to throw at the Sound-nins from both sides as well. Tenten lands a few moments later in a kneel as her two clones disappear in poofs of smoke and the three scrolls land around her in a circle before the bodies of the enemies are shown.

/Scene-Switch/

Haruno Sakura is shown as she dusts her hands off after having just dispatched her own share of Sound-nins. However, As the dust settles around the battle area, The pink-haired kunoichi raises her gaze up to see a certain glasses-wearing Oto-nin.

"Yakushi... Kabuto."

The ponytailed Oto-nin adjusts his glasses slightly, "Ah. It's you, Sakura-san." He says, a hint of arrogance in his voice as the pink-haired girl takes a ready-stance. He remembers Sakura as she was during the Chuunin Exam and is quite confident that she'll not be a match for him, then decides to make the girl an offer, "There really isn't any need for us to fight." He says with a grin and a shrug, "Just give us Sasuke-kun and we'll gladly be on our wa--" However, He's suddenly cut off as he leaps out of the way of a crack that's speeding toward him through the ground.

Kabuto lands in a kneel several feet away and looks toward Sakura to see the pink-haired girl with her fist against the ground and the crevice that extends from that point to where the Oto-nin himself was previously standing. ("That's... the same as Tsunade-sama...") He mentally observes as Sakura stands back up, ("So, Sakura-san has become a medical ninja. But, I also...")

("According to Tsunade-shishou, Kabuto is a highly-skilled medical ninja also.") Sakura contemplates, not taking her eyes off her opponent, ("I'll have to be careful as to how I approach him. My best course is...")

After the two have decided on a method of attacking, Kabuto performs a series of hand-seals that Sakura immediately recognizes as those used for the Shousen Jutsu. Kabuto reaches into the ningu pouch at the back of his waist with his left hand and pulls out a kunai.

("Those hand-seals...") Sakura deduces, then smiles, ("I see. So, That's to be his plan of attack: To close the distance between us using a feint attack with his kunai, in order to use Shousen to attack internally. This method would also neutralize attacks like I used moments ago.") ("Heh, Baka.") She mentally concludes, ("He assumes I'll look for an opportunity to use medical skills also.")

Thinking his plan is set, Kabuto darts toward Sakura with his kunai drawn. Sakura, seeing his approach, quickly reaches into her back-pouch and pulls out several what-appears-to-be smoke balls, then she tosses them at the advancing Oto-nin. However, As the small orbs, some of which Kabuto knocks aside, blow open... there's no smoke, only what-appears-to-be something like confetti that covers the glasses-wearing medical ninja, causing him to stop his approach. Kabuto looks at the small strips of paper, only to realize that they're actually miniature explosive tags, "Hell!" He states, raising his gaze back toward Sakura.

Sakura pulls out a kunai, "Didn't expect my special attack, huh?" She says, "Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu!" With the name revealed, Sakura tosses the kunai at Kabuto, who jumps back a step to avoid it as it lodges in the ground in front of him... only to notice, at the last second, a small explosive pack attached to it just before it explodes, setting off a chain reaction that has all of the small explosive tags on the Oto-nin exploding as well.

However, as the smoke clears, Kabuto is revealed to still be alive despite the number of miniature exposions he suffered... just in time for Sakura to show up behind him. The pink-haired medical kunoichi quickly touches the back of Kabuto's neck with her left hand(which is embued with Shousen Jutsu), severing the nerves that connect to the brain, followed by delivering a fully chakra-powered right punch to his back, sending him flying into the wall of a local house.

Sakura walks toward Kabuto as he slumps into a sitting position, unable to use any part of his body from the neck down.

"H-how?" Kabuto barely manages to ask, his head still nodded forward as he's unable to lift it.

"Your strategy was too obvious." Sakura explains, "You figured out that I had been trained by Tsunade-shishou and came to the conclusion that I would also fight like her. And, while I do use her fighting techniques, I invented my Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu separately. Further, I realized that the conclusion you came to about my fighting techniques and knew that you wouldn't be expecting something like it."

"I... see. Your intelligence and... analytical skills, they surpass... even my own." Kabuto responds, coughing as he speaks. He knows that he can't use his self-healing ability in his condition and is aware that his time is growing short. "Demo..." He continues, "Orochimaru-sama will... will stop at nothing to... retrieve Sasuke-kun. He won't stop until he... until he possesses the Sharingan... until he possesses Sasuke-kun. uhn..." With those words, Kabuto's voice fades away as his breathing comes to an end.

"We won't lose Sasuke-kun to Orochimaru again." Sakura says, assured that Orochimaru won't succeed.

/Scene-Switch/

Orochimaru is shown within Konoha as he encounters none-other-than Hatake Kakashi.

Within moments, Sasuke also reaches the place where they are, "Orochimaru..." He says before starting toward the snake-sannin, only to be stopped as Kakashi holds his left arm out in front of him.

"Matte, Sasuke." Kakashi says back to the young Uchiha without looking away from Orochimaru, "How about you let me handle Orochimaru, okay?"

After a moment of deliberation, Sasuke agrees in his own way: by stuffing his hands in his pockets with a "Hn." Before walking away to observe the fight.

Kakashi raises his left arm and pulls his hitai-ate up to reveal his Sharingan-embued left eye. "So, Orochimaru. What do you say, we get started?" He queries, then performs several hand-seals before stating, "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

A huge water-dragon forms in the nearby body of water and launches itself toward Orochimaru. Showing no sign of concern, Orochimaru performs a series of hand-seals before kneeling and placing his palm against the ground, "Kuchiyose: Rashomon!" With that, A towering gate-like structure quickly erects in front of the snake-sannin and Kakashi's water-dragon smashes into it, reverting back to plain water as it splashes onto the ground. However, Orochimaru's ankles are suddenly grabbed from below ground by Kakashi's hands, "But, This is--"

"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!" Kakashi states from underground. He abruptly pulls Orochimaru underground, burying the snake-sannin up to his neck as Kakashi, himself, appears back aboveground.

Looking down at Orochimaru, Kakashi says, "Now, You won't be able to avoid my attacks." The silver haired jounin then closes his right eye, looking at Orochimaru with just his Sharingan, and performs the seal of the rat, which causes leaves to swirl up around the snake-sannin's head. (In case you're unfamiliar with this, it is the Genjutsu used by Kakashi against Sakura during the first training - Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu).

Orochimaru uses his 'Nan no Kaizo' ability to -slither- out of the hole which his head was sticking up through, only to find that Kakashi is nowhere around. Realizing that this is a Genjutsu, Orochimaru smirks before forming the Kai hand-seal and dispersing Kakashi's Genjutsu just in time to tilt his head to one side as a kunai, tossed by Kakashi, flies by to lodge in a tree behind him. The snake-sannin looks toward Kakashi to see him knelt down, with a scroll placed on the ground in front of him, and he can tell Kakashi performed a Kuchiyose.

Suddenly, Kakashi's kawaii nin-ken burst up through the ground all around Orochimaru to latch onto him and stop him from moving. Seeing that his Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu succeeded, Kakashi stands up and performs the hand-seals to activate Raikiri... albeit with a white chakra as opposed to the normal blue.

"Orochimaru!" Kakashi states, Raikiri crackling in his right hand, "Your ambition ends here! I'll see to it!" And, with that, The silver haired jounin dashes toward the immobilized Orochimaru with his right hand pulled back.

However, As Kakashi advances toward Orochimaru, the snake-sannin uses his 'Nan no Kaizo' ability to launch his head toward the silver haired jounin. The kusanagi sword extends from Orochimaru's mouth as his head nears the advancing shinobi... only for Kakashi to vanish, using Hiraishin no Jutsu. Kakashi appears behind the immobilized Orochimaru and thrusts his right hand through the snake-sannin's chest.

Orochimaru's head and extended neck fall to the ground and Kakashi jerks his hand free as the kawaii nin-ken all disappear, allowing the snake-sannin's body to fall as well. Reaching up and pulling his hitai-ate down to cover his left eye, Kakashi sighs and says, "Finally, It's over."

)-Elsewhere-(

At the Akatsuki's super-secret 'hidden' base...

Amidst the darkness of the hidden cave-like base of the Akatsuki, all remaining members' bodies are lying on the ground around two shadowy male figures. The two shinobi are standing with their backs to each other and they're revealed: Gouma Toramaru and Karite Shugou.

"For a group of S-rank shinobi," Shugou says, calmly, as he sheathes Chimidoro, "I expected more of a challenge."

Toramaru nods once slightly, then responds, "When a shadow turns fully from the light, it dooms itself to die in darkness..."

"Aa. So, Should we return?" Shugou queries, then adds, "They're probably worried."

Toramaru nods again, "Indeed."

With that, the two shinobi vanish: Toramaru in a swirl of leaves and Shugou in a flash of violet smoke.

)-Konohagakure: Naruto's Appartment-(

Naruto is shown in his bed, fast asleep, snoring loudly... having slept through the entirety of the battle against Orochimaru.

(-The End-)

Ramblings: Well, That's it! It's finally over! Anyway, In case you're wondering: Gouma Toramaru is the 'mysterious ninja' that appeared in the first chapter of this story as well as the chapter before this. Karite Shugou is a character created and owned by Hanako-chan, and I obtained permission to borrow him for this fic. Also, The mystery shinobi that was atop the Hokage stone monument in the previous chapter was not revealed. However, I may write a sequel and he'll be the main antagonist in it. Well, I think that covers things. Ja for now! 


End file.
